Title
The following principles are recommended:
- Number maps consecutively within the document (eg Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3), or by section or chapter (eg Figure 2.1, Figure 2.2, Figure 4.1, Figure B5). Numbering by section is useful because changes in one section will not affect numbering in another section. This is especially important in long documents or those that have many figures. Alternatively, maps could be numbered Map 1, Map 2, and so on, if there is a requirement to separate maps from figures within the publication.
- Place the title as its own paragraph below the map, not within the map. This convention should also be used for web-based publications. However, placing the title just above the legend may be more suitable for some types of page layout designs. A subtitle may be useful to provide additional information, such as a location or key finding.
- Avoid obvious titles such as Map showing x and any jargon that will confuse the reader.
- Use a title that describes the map content, including the date of the map, if appropriate:
Figure 3 Salvinia (Salvinia molesta) weed spread and management actions, 2011
- Use minimal capitalisation for the title (only capitalise the first letter of the first word of the title and proper nouns).
- Use minimal punctuation to keep titles clean and uncluttered: follow figure numbers with a tab, not a colon, and do not place a full stop at the end. Using a tab also helps align the titles properly in an automatically generated contents list of figures.
- Spell out abbreviations in full in the title, wherever possible. Put any necessary detail in explanatory notes. The title should not cover more than 2 lines (preferably 1 line).
- For a series of maps, give the same information in the same order in the title.
Legend
A legend explains all symbols and colours used on the map. Complex or detailed legends may require grouping of categories or shape types. A legend title such as key or legend is not required. Outlines (boxes) around the legend can make a map look cluttered and are not usually necessary. Legend labels should use minimal capitalisation, and standard editing and numerical conventions (see Editing).
Scale
Most maps should include a scale bar. This is conventionally placed within the map area itself, most often at the bottom, although it could also be placed near the legend if there is no space at the bottom.
The scale bar should be roughly one-fifth of the width of the map and indicate distance intervals in whole numbers that are meaningful for the purpose of the map, starting at 0 at the left end of the bar (eg 0, 25, 50, 75, 100 km). The scale bar is occasionally accompanied by the statement of scale, such as 1:100,000. However, the written statement of scale will not be correct if the map is enlarged or reduced, and should be removed before publication. The scale bar is not affected by enlargement or reduction of the map.
Geoprofessionals use the following terms to define map scales:
- small scale – 1:250,000 and smaller
- medium scale – 1:50,000 to 1:250,000
- large scale – 1:50,000 and larger.
These classifications vary slightly in absolute terms (Peterson 2015) and are often used in a relative sense. An easy way to remember the classification is that large-scale maps show small areas such as a town, and small-scale maps show large areas such as continents.
